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'Mugabe insane' jibe, woman and daughter fined
18 May 2014 at 17:09hrs | Views
A woman and her daughter have been fined for calling President Robert Mugabe insane, following the release of a prisoner through the February presidential amnesty.
Dora Smasher, 54, and her daughter Kristle Smasher Moyo, 29, were on Thursday ordered to pay a $100 fine, failure of which they would spend 20 days in prison.
Harare magistrate Milton Serima convicted the two, after ruling that the State had managed to prove its case.
In aggravation, the State said the two had been convicted of a serious crime, by denouncing the authority of the president.
"Accused one (Kristle) is not a new-comer to court," the prosecutor said.
"Even if she was convicted of another offence different from this one, the court should not be swayed by that.
"The accused has showed an utter disregard of the law as she even uttered the said words in front of a police officer."
According to state papers, the complainant in the matter was Tandiwe Dube-Nyatanga of Belvedere, Harare, and is the pair's landlady.
The court heard the incident took place after Nyatanga was released from prison following a presidential pardon in February this year.
After the release, the State told the court that Nyatanga asked for rentals from the pair.
Kristle insulted Nyatanga, calling her a prostitute and a habitual criminal.
Dora is said to have joined in and shouted at Nyatanga, claiming she would make sure that she would be taken back to jail.
She went on to insult Mugabe, saying he was insane for releasing a thief like Nyatanga.
According to State papers, she said, "Uri imbwa yemunhu, vaMugabe vanopenga kubudisa mbavha yakadai mujeri (You are a dog. Mugabe must be insane, getting a thief like you released from prison)."
The two were also facing three separate fraud charges, raised by Nyatanga, over claims that the convicts were leasing her house, on the pretext that they were the owners of the property.
Serima cleared them of the fraud charge.
Dora Smasher, 54, and her daughter Kristle Smasher Moyo, 29, were on Thursday ordered to pay a $100 fine, failure of which they would spend 20 days in prison.
Harare magistrate Milton Serima convicted the two, after ruling that the State had managed to prove its case.
In aggravation, the State said the two had been convicted of a serious crime, by denouncing the authority of the president.
"Accused one (Kristle) is not a new-comer to court," the prosecutor said.
"Even if she was convicted of another offence different from this one, the court should not be swayed by that.
"The accused has showed an utter disregard of the law as she even uttered the said words in front of a police officer."
According to state papers, the complainant in the matter was Tandiwe Dube-Nyatanga of Belvedere, Harare, and is the pair's landlady.
After the release, the State told the court that Nyatanga asked for rentals from the pair.
Kristle insulted Nyatanga, calling her a prostitute and a habitual criminal.
Dora is said to have joined in and shouted at Nyatanga, claiming she would make sure that she would be taken back to jail.
She went on to insult Mugabe, saying he was insane for releasing a thief like Nyatanga.
According to State papers, she said, "Uri imbwa yemunhu, vaMugabe vanopenga kubudisa mbavha yakadai mujeri (You are a dog. Mugabe must be insane, getting a thief like you released from prison)."
The two were also facing three separate fraud charges, raised by Nyatanga, over claims that the convicts were leasing her house, on the pretext that they were the owners of the property.
Serima cleared them of the fraud charge.
Source - dailynews
